PML-N supremo forbids meetings with servicemen

Nawaz Sharif says such meetings allowed only with permission of leadership in extraordinary case

ISLAMABAD:

PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has issued a rare notification for his party’s leaders and workers barring them from holding all sorts of private or official meetings with personnel of the military and intelligence agencies.

 The notification issued by the PML-N General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal on behalf of Nawaz on Tuesday noted that such meetings even when undertaken with a good intention spark controversies.

 “[Recently] specific parts of such meetings were leaked to discredit political leaders.

 “Therefore, it has been decided that in future no party worker will meet any official of the army or intelligence agencies,” it said.

 However, if a meeting with military or intelligence officials becomes necessary, the notification added, the leader or worker will first seek permission from the party leadership.

 The communiqué claimed that the former prime minister’s speech at the opposition’s all parties conference (APC) was highly appreciated both by the party and the general public. “Nawaz Sharif expects that the party leadership will offer him unwavering support,” it added.

 At the APC on September 20, Nawaz Sharif – who has been in London since November 2019 – delivered a fiery speech, claiming that his fight was not against the PTI led federal government but the powerful military establishment that – he alleged – brought the PTI into power.

 However, a day after the speech a controversy emerged when the news media reported secret meetings between the military and the opposition leaders including those belonging to the PML-N.

 This controversy largely neutralized the effect of the APC in which the opposition parties had upped the ante against the government as they demanded immediate resignation of PM Imran Khan, while announcing an alliance – the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – to begin a country-wide protest.  

 Last week, Nawaz Sharif had issued a verbal instruction to his party leaders not to meet military personnel, according to media reports.